Blue - John Egbert - Homestuck
by DerpingToaster
Summary: John Egbert seems like a perfectly normal teenager. He goes to school, watches shitty movies, has lots of friends, a loving father, and brings home good grades. However, there is one thing that makes John different than all his friends. He doesn't have a crush. And he's never had one, nor does he get them. In fact, he doesn't even feel attracted in any way to anyone.
1. Chapter 1

It was a chilly day near the end of August, and school was about to start back up for the year. John was nervous. He'd be going into eleventh grade now, and would have to work hard again this year to stay in the STEM Program. At least he'd have all his friends with him, though. That thought was reassuring.

The boy sat on his bed, his blue eyes intensely focused on his DS screen. Over the intense battle music, he heard his dad's voice call from downstairs. "John! Time for dinner!" "I can't dad! I'm right in the middle of fighting the Elite Four!" the boy called back, his attention never leaving the screen, even for a second. He was so distracted by his game that he didn't even realize his dad come into his room and lean against his door frame. "John. Come on, pause the game. Don't you wanna come eat?" his dad asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, but this is _really_ important! My career as a Pokemon master depends on it!" the boy told his dad. "Close the game and come downstairs. Besides, I made your favorite tonight. You wouldn't want it to get cold," the older man standing in the door spoke calmly.

"Fine. I'll come downstairs," John sighed, closing the DS and sliding off his bed. As soon as he began to descend, the sharp, wonderful aroma of his dad's cooking hit his nose. Goulash. Oh hell yes. The dark-haired boy nearly fell down the steps as he rushed into the kitchen. "I made it just the way you like it," his dad remarked upon seeing his son come in. "Thanks dad! You're the best!" the brunette nodded, sitting down at the table and saying a quick prayer before eating. A huge smile came onto the boy's face as he ate. His dad's food always tasted really good, and all his friends always teased him (in jest, of course) about how he was shit at cooking. That's OK. He was good at other things. "Are you winning?" his dad asked as he sat down in the chair across from the boy.

"Yeah!" The brunette covered his mouth with his hand as he spoke, "I am! My Vaporeon is super great! His name is Nic Cage, because he's awesome and has totally saved us in a bunch of battles," John laughed. The boy's father simply smiled and nodded, even though he had no idea what the hell a Vaporeon was. "Are you excited for school to start up again, son?" Mr. Egbert asked calmly as he ate. "Mmmm..." John's expression turned to one of distaste, "not really. I mean, school's a lot of work. But I am glad I'll actually get to see my friends on a day-to-day basis. We really didn't get to hang out much this summer, so I'm excited to see everyone again."

"What do you mean you 'really didn't hang out' with your friends this summer? That Dave kid came over like every two weeks, and you went to that lesbian girl's pool party, remember? The one where you dropped your lemonade in the pool?" his dad smiled slightly. "Yeah, I remember that," John laughed. "Still, I didn't really get to see the others too much. It feels like ages since I've seen Jake, or Roxy, or really anyone who's not Dave or Rose," the boy shrugged.

"You'll get to see them soon," Dad Egbert reminded. "Yeah. I know. School starts in a couple days," he nodded, as if preparing himself for delivering a speech to a huge crowd or getting ready to run a triathlon. "Anyways, I made you something as a going-back-to-school surprise," the man told John, standing up and heading back into the kitchen. He opened the oven, which, wasn't actually on, and what he made for John was just in there so it would stay warm. Mr. Egbert removed the cake from the oven, putting it on the counter. John's blue eyes widened, and he could feel himself begin to salivate. Wow, his dad was totally the best ever! The brunette bolted out of his chair and rushed over to where the sweet chocolate babka sat tantalizingly on the white counter top.

The boy held the plate with a piece of the delicious cake on it tightly in his hands as he went back upstairs to continue playing his game. As he sat back down on his bed, he noticed his phone had practically blown up while he was gone. Recently, he'd started using a new messaging application called Pesterchum that his friends had told him about — apparently it was the cool, new, and hip thing, kind of like the internet in the mid-1980s. Except not nearly as revolutionary and groundbreaking.

He unlocked his phone and opened Pesterchum, seeing that his best friend had left him a considerable amount of messages.

TG: dude

TG: john

TG: john answer me

TG: joooooooooohn

TG: i understand if youre in the middle of a battle but dont leave me hangin

TG: my dude are you psyched about school or what

TG: answer whenever you see this i guess

\- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 06:30 PM -

EB: hey sorry dave i was having dinner.

EB: my dad made my favorite and there was no way i was gonna pass up my dad's goulash!

EB: besides i didn't wanna be rude nor did i wanna eat cold goulash.

TG: yeah

TG: totally fuckin understandable

TG: well not totally but you get the gist

TG: anyways are you excited about school

EB: not really...but i'm excited i'll get to see you guys more often!

TG: im excited for some weird reason

EB: maybe you're just excited to see everyone again?

TG: yeah probably

TG: shit

TG: i gotta blow this joint but it was nice talking again

EB: yeah!

EB: maybe we can talk more tomorrow?

TG: yes totally

TG: im down for that

TG: anyways bye

EB: bye dave!

\- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 06:30 PM -

John was just excited to not have to sit at home all day. Sure, watching his favorite movies was always fun, but it got a little repetitive after the first week of summer. He already replayed all his Pokemon games, reread some books he liked, worked on some programming stuff that ended in utter failure and his dad having to take his laptop to the repair shop for the third time, and, of course, he'd done his summer school work.

He finished up his cake and went back to playing his game, excited to finally be able to see his old friends again.


	2. Chapter 2

Before anyone really knew it, the first day of school had approached. John was already awake, as he'd made sure to wake up early so he'd have time to walk to school. The bus was gross and smelly, and his dad couldn't drive him because he had to go to work, and John didn't know how to drive yet, so he walked to school. The brunette ran his fingers through his messy, dark brown hair and climbed out of bed, stretching a bit. It kind of felt nice to go through the routine of getting ready: eating breakfast, taking a shower, brushing teeth, putting on the nice clothes his dad had bought him for his return to school. John managed to get ready in about an hour, which gave him plenty of time to walk to school and to be there before the bell rang.

He locked the door to the house behind him as he left, and put his key in his pocket so he wouldn't lose it. The brunette sighed as the crisp autumn breeze combed through his hair and lightly brushed his skin. It was really nice. The boy walked calmly down the streets of the suburb that he lived in, sometimes stopping to take in all the sensory magic, like the way fall smelled or how the leaves crackled when he stepped on them, or the way the blue-gray sky contrasted with the colors of the leaves. He lived pretty close to the school, and could see it from where he stood on the sidewalk.

The brunette walked onto the school campus, glancing around. He saw Dave, who was leaning against the flagpole. It seemed like he was waiting for someone, which probably was the case, considering that none of his friends looked to be around. "Hey Dave!" John called, waving to his friend. The blonde's eyes widened beneath his black shades as soon as he saw his friend. "John!" a smile came onto Dave's face, and he hugged his best friend. "Still pale as ever, I see," John teased. "I can't believe you'd make fun of someone with a medical condition!" the albino laughed. That was true, Dave _did_ have a medical condition, and he really couldn't tan out of fear of getting burnt. John seemed very dark in comparison, even though his skin was pretty fair for someone who was half Israeli.

"Where are the others?" John asked. "Dirk's gonna be late. He slept through his goddamn alarm again. Rose is on her way, and Jade is over there talking to Jake. Not sure where Roxy or Jane are, although Roxy is probably with Rose, and who knows where the hell Jane is. That girl's a fuckin' enigma," Dave shrugged. "I'm gonna go say hi to Jade and Jake," the brunette nodded, walking over to where the two were standing. "Hey!" John chirped. Jade glanced over at John, her green eyes widening. A huge smile came on to her face, and it's bright glow contrasted with her otherwise dark skin and hair. "Oh my gosh! Hi John!" Jade laughed, hugging her friend tightly. The boy drew in a sharp breath as Jade hugged him. Jesus. That girl had strong arms!

"Hi Jade. Hi Jake," the boy waved at Jake, who was smiling a little awkwardly. Jake and Jade were cousins on her Mom's side, so they didn't really talk or meet a lot as family. "Hey John! Swell meeting you again!" the shorter boy nodded. He had a rather thick English accent, which was ironic considering his last name. It was merely coincidental, though. "Dave's over there—" the brunette was cut off by a loud squeal from Jade. He looked over to make sure that she was okay, only to find her tightly embracing none other than Jane Crocker, who still had the same short black hair and pudgy frame that she'd had at the beginning of last year, and who was also his cousin, albeit not one he met very much outside of the occasional family reunion.

Eventually, Rose and Roxy showed up, completing the group of friends. Except Dirk, of course, who was apparently running late. The seven of them chatted for a bit before Dave's older brother showed up, an orange hoodie tied around his waist and a piece of toast in his mouth, anime style. "Sorry I'm late. I accidentally slept through my shitty alarm again," the blonde laughed. "Dave didn't wake me up either," Dirk mumbled, glancing at his younger brother. "I knew if I woke you up you'd be mad. Don't fuckin' lie to me, bro. I know you like sleeping in," the younger Strider teased. Dirk simply sighed and ate his toast, eventually joining in with the others' conversation.

They mostly just talked about what they did over the summer. Dave apparently released his 'totally sweet and absolute fire' mixtape on some popular music sites and had gotten quite a lot of hits, and even some people asking him to DJ for them, which was cool. The Lalonde girls had a pool party; Rose also reread Harry Potter in full, and Roxy was able to crack a difficult encryption she'd been working on for a summer programming class. Jake had gone hiking with Dirk, and Jane had quite a few bake sales, which had given her some extra spending money that she could use for whatever she liked. Jade dog-sat for some neighbors while they were on a trip, and she also replanted her garden, which was torn up by said dogs. When it got to be John's turn, he wasn't very sure what to say. "Uh...I replayed all my Pokemon games. I wrote some essays for my STEM thing, and rewatched all Matthew McConaughey's movies. I also wrote some really basic coding stuff, but I ended up scrapping it because it sucked," the boy nodded. Pretty uneventful. Regardless, everyone seemed like they had fun, so John was happy about that.

Afterwards, they all compared schedules. John had English first period, which he was with Rose in. Second period was Math, and since he and Dirk were the only ones doing the STEM program at the school, they had STEM math together. Third was French, which he really enjoyed but wasn't too good at. He and Jade were both in the same French III this year, so she could help him study. Apparently he had classes with all his friends except Jake, Jane, and Dave, but he saw them at lunch, so it more or less evened everything out. As the eight of them entered the school building for the first time in months, nothing would have prepared them for what was to come in the next few months.


	3. Chapter 3

\- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 03:30 PM -

EB: rose!

TT: Yes?

EB: do you have the notes from english class today?

TT: Yes. Do you want me to take a photo and send them to you?

EB: yeah! that would be great. thanks!

TT: Here. You can just download the photos from that link.

EB: thanks rose!

TT: No problem.

EB: hey.

EB: can i ask you something?

TT: Sure. What do you need to ask, John?

EB: who's that troll girl you've been talking to?

TT: Oh, her? She's...a friend. Apparently, she lives just a few blocks away. I was never even aware of the fact that we had trolls living so close to us.

EB: oh! that's really cool. she seems nice.

TT: Yes, she is nice.

EB: are you going to dirk's sleepover tomorrow?

TT: Why wouldn't I be going?

EB: oh, i don't know. i was just wondering. it wouldn't be as fun without you there!

TT: Thanks for the sincerity.

EB: no problem!

EB: are you bringing your troll friend?

EB: what's her name?

TT: Kanaya. And yes, Dirk said she was allowed to go. It might be a bit awkward though, with her being the only troll.

EB: i'm sure it won't be a problem! dirk's not racist. besides, the more the merrier, right?

TT: Yes, I believe you're correct in that statement. And I'm not so much worried about discrimination, I'm more worried about her not feeling like she fits in.

EB: i guess i can understand that.

EB: anyways, i should get started on my homework. i can't believe my teachers decided to give me so much work! school's only been in session for like, two fucking weeks!

TT: That's high school for you.

EB: yeah, i know.

EB: nice talking to you rose! see you at dirk's tomorrow!

TT: Bye John. Nice speaking to you too.

\- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] at 03:35 PM -

John sighed, putting his phone down on his desk. His right hand was busy writing an essay that he had to do for English, but his left hand (and all of his brain) was busy playing Pokemon. It was an incurable addiction, and he had to get his daily fix. Besides, the nice music helped him focus. The brunette was still having a tough time focusing, which was unusual for him. Probably because he was excited to see all his friends again. Sure, he saw them every day at school, but he only got to really hang out at lunch, which was only 45 minutes. Dirk's sleepover would be an opportunity for him to see everyone again outside of school. He was also pretty excited about meeting Rose's new friend. She seemed nice, and always looked pretty.

Humans and trolls went to integrated schools, which was actually a pretty recent thing. Trolls and humans had been coexisting on earth for many years, although they usually lived in separate communities due to cultural differences. Trolls still had to follow human laws, minus a few exemptions, and they usually didn't intermingle with humans. Except at school, which was kind of nice. Probably because it was easiest for their cultures to meet that way, and build tolerance for one another, which could eventually lead to trolls and humans living together. John hadn't really talked to any trolls yet though, and he had yet to be paired up with one for a project. It wasn't that he disliked them, he just hadn't met any, and he wasn't very sure how to approach them.

Besides, what if he made himself look dumb in front of them? That would be super embarrassing. But, that was all going to change tomorrow. He was going to meet a troll for the first time ever, and hopefully they could be friends. She seemed to have befriended Rose easily enough, so John figured it wouldn't be an issue.

The rest of the night and the next school day flew by in an excited hurry. John had already packed the night before, and Roxy was going to come pick him up and take him to the sleepover in an hour. It was also a Friday, so he could wait until Sunday to finish his homework, which was just some math and French vocab. The boy couldn't help but look out the window every so often, waiting for Roxy's navy blue car to pull up in his driveway. Roxy, Dirk, Jake, and Jane were the oldest, in twelfth grade. Rose, Dave, Jade, and John were all a year younger, in eleventh grade. The only one of the four who knew how to drive well yet was Rose, so all the others had to depend on being picked up or walking. Dirk's house was much too far to walk, and John liked Roxy. She was fun. Her car always smelled like fruit punch and she always played radio loud; she and John would also sometimes even sing along to the songs on the radio.

After a painfully long wait that felt much less like an hour and more like a week, John heard Roxy's loud bass outside his window. He could hear the door close as she got out of the car, and he ran downstairs, bags in arms, to get the door for her. The brunette was greeted by a familiar face with curly blonde hair and black lipstick, smiling at him through the door window. The boy put his bags down and opened the door for Rose's older sister. She was wearing a black tank top and camo shorts with black tights, and it looked really cool. "Johnny boy! How's it hangin'?" Roxy laughed, extending her clenched fist towards him for the new, cool teen greeting called a 'fist bump.' He returned the fist bump, picking up his bags. "Good. Thanks!" he smiled brightly. "No problemo!" Roxy nodded, taking one of John's bags out to her car. "Jesus, John. Did you pack your whole bedroom?" the girl laughed, helping the younger one put his bags in the trunk. "I always over pack. It's better to be too prepared than not prepared enough!" John nodded. "Where'dja learn that?" Roxy asked, opening the passenger side door for John, "boy scouts?" "No, my dad," the brunette told her, climbing into the car and putting his seat belt on.

The ride to Dirk's house was fun. Roxy played some loud music as usual, and she gave John a soda that she had in her glove compartment. It was a bit of a long ride, since Dirk lived in an apartment close to the inner city. When they finally arrived outside the Strider's apartment complex, Roxy parked her car and the two collected their bags. The blonde girl led the way, taking the stairs to the fourteenth floor. John, being a little scared of heights, silently asked himself why his best friend had to live on the very top floor of the apartment building.

"Dirk!" Roxy chimed as she knocked on the door to apartment 1407. After a few seconds of silence and some shuffling inside the room, Dirk opened the door. "Hey Roxy, hey John. Come on in," he smiled, opening the door fully for them. He helped carry the bags into the apartment, which was no problem because he had very strong muscles that were emphasized by the sleeveless shirts he always wore. John liked the apartment, because there were real actual swords mounted on the wall, Dave's music decks in the corner, Dirk's collection of robots, manga, and anime DVDs stacked on a small shelf next to Dave's collection of preserved dead things, and a shelf that had old vinyl records from obscure bands no one besides Dave listened to, and Dirk's collection of cool mini cars.

"Where's Dave?" John asked, disappointed to see that no one else was here besides Roxy, him, and Dirk. "He's in his bedroom finishing up the latest installment of Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff. I'm sure he'll be done soon," the older Strider shrugged. Just as he finished, the door to Dave's bedroom opened, and the albino blonde poked his head out. "Yo! John, my dude!" Dave smiled, exiting his room and not bothering to close the door, "how's it going?" "Good! Thanks. Where's everyone else?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. "Dunno. They'll probably be here soon. We don't really have a scheduled time," the blonde said calmly. "Hope you brought a sleeping bag, because we are going to be hella sleeping tonight. And also having a good time. Dirk bought like 500 goddamn pizzas. Shit was stacked so fucking high in the fridge, I knew tonight was gonna be totally wild." John simply laughed at his friend's comment, turning around as he heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it!" Roxy announced loudly, dashing towards the door before any of the guys could get a word in edgewise.

Jade entered the room, smiling nervously and holding a green bag with some flowers on it. Soon after, Jane arrived with Jake, only leaving Rose and Kanaya absent. "Where the hell is Rose?" Roxy muttered. They were kind of waiting on her and Kanaya to start the party. They were going to play some games, if she and her friend ever showed up. Eventually, there was one curt knock on the door, and Roxy once more got up to answer it. "Rosey! Hiiiiii!" she chirped, hugging her younger sister. "Hey Kanaya! Nice of you to come!" the older Lalonde smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "Who's that again?" Kanaya asked Rose softly as Roxy went back inside. "That's Roxy, my sister," Rose told her. The troll girl simply nodded in response. Human genetics were still very much confusing to her. "Ah, hey" Dirk glanced up at the two girls from his phone. "Cool, everyone's here," he said to himself. It didn't take very long for the nine of them to decide what to play; they settled on Truth or Dare, since not everyone knew how to play Cards Against Humanity. Rose explained the game to Kanaya, who seemed a little confused, but went along regardless.

"Alright! Since I'm the one who's hosting, I'll go first," Dirk spoke up. "Okay..." he paused to think for a second, glancing at his friends sitting in front of him. Who should he pick? Maybe Jake, but he was his best friend (and unrequited crush, but Jake didn't know that), so he already knew a lot about him. "Rose. Truth or dare?" the older Strider questioned, adjusting his shades. "Truth," the blonde nodded, her calm expression unfaltering. "Have you ever un-ironically enjoyed something made for children?" Dirk asked. "Yes. Squiddles is technically for children, although I know many teenagers who still enjoy watching it. I personally enjoy it," the blonde nodded, unashamed of liking the' children's show.'

"Alright. Kanaya, why don't you have a turn? Truth or Dare?" Rose asked, turning to face the troll. "Truth," the Jadeblood said, still looking a bit dumbfounded. The blonde nodded, "what do you think about humans?" "I think humans are a bit eccentric, if not usually very caring," the Virgo's eyes grazed over the humans sitting in front of her. "I think it's bizarre how humans all have the same blood; a color which is considered a mutation in our society. Regardless, I think humans are very accepting." That was a good answer. John liked this girl already. It was good to see that she didn't hate humans, although he didn't really understand what she was talking about when she said that humans 'all had the same blood.'

This went on for a while, and John was having fun, until everyone started asking everyone about crushes. The boy felt a little awkward, because he didn't have one, and he wasn't even sure he knew what a crush felt like. John was sure that he would get one in due time, though. Most people just said it was a secret, or talked about fictional characters or celebrities that they had crushes on. "What about you, John? You haven't shared yet! Only if you want to, of course!" Jade looked over at him, smiling. "I have a crush on Nicholas Cage," the brunette joked. It was obvious by his tone that he was kidding, and everyone laughed. Boy, that was pretty close. Still, he got the chance to make a joke, and everyone thought it was funny, so he didn't feel bad.

That was, until Dave asked who his crush _really_ was.


	4. Chapter 4

John's face turned pale. "Uhh..."

Shit. He probably looked stupid, just sitting there with his mouth partially open, his face drained of its usual color. "I...don't have one," he murmured quietly. "Oh. That's fine. Sorry I freaked you out so much, dude," Dave laughed, noticing how uncomfortable his best friend looked. "It's okay, John," Jade started; that familiar, friendly smile, "I don't have a crush yet either! I'm sure you'll get one soon. This is the age everyone starts getting crushes and dating and stuff. It seems kind of scary, but I'm also excited!" the girl nodded, her long, dark hair bouncing as she did so. "Thanks Jade," the brunette returned a slight smile, the sick feeling in his stomach fading away.

Eventually, everyone stopped talking about crushes, and Dirk put on a movie. It wasn't Nic Cage, so John couldn't say he liked it, but it was still good. There was lots of action and cool fast cars. Halfway through, Dave broke out the pizza and soda and whatever else he could find in the cupboard. John was so hungry that he probably could've eaten the entire box of pizza, that was, if Dave hadn't eaten like half already. That was one thing he hated about sharing food with his best friend, he always fucking ate like half. "Sorry my dude. I'll get more," the blonde nodded, getting off the couch and getting another box of pizza. "Hey, about earlier, why'd you seem so freaked out when I asked you who your crush really was?" Dave asked. "Is there something you gotta tell me, bro? I won't judge. Whatever makes you happy," the younger Strider laughed a bit, wiping some pizza sauce from his mouth.

"I'm not gay, Dave," John deadpanned, rolling his eyes. A slight smile reluctantly pulled at his lips, and he gave in to it. "Okay. Whatever you say, man. Even if you are gay, you're still my best friend, no matter what," the blonde smiled ever so slightly. "Thanks. I'm still not gay though," the brunette retorted playfully. Dave simply nodded, glancing over at his older brother, who he could see staring at Jake with a dazed, dreamy look in his eyes and a soft smile on his face, as if he'd just seen an angel.

Talk about someone who was gay. At first, Dave didn't really suspect anything. Dirk seemed straight enough, besides the fact that he liked My Little Pony, but he liked cars and swords and working out and stuff. But then he found Dirk's weird journal thing, which his psychiatrist made him keep so he could write about his emotions and stuff. There were a lot of pages with drawings that the younger Strider reluctantly admitted were pretty good, even if they were drawn in shitty, moe anime style, of Jake and Dirk holding hands, kissing, and generally being together. Most of the pages were full of ramblings about how much he loved Jake or how cute he thought he was. And every single time his older brother saw Jake, he got this look in his eyes that could only be described as love and desire. Jake was oblivious to Dirk's feelings, and just saw him as a friend. For his brother's sake, he kind of hoped that Jake would reciprocate his feelings.

He glanced back over at John. Was _John_ gay? Probably not. If anything, he was probably straighter than a fucking ruler. And not the fun, bendy kind. John didn't seem like the gay type, and he never looked at boys the way Dirk did. In fact, he didn't seem interested in romance at all. Maybe he was just gay and in denial? Whatever the case was, he was still the same John that had been his friend since elementary school, and things would continue to stay that way.

As the night went on, a majority of the kids still awake decided to watch movies to stay up. Dirk and Jake were honest to goodness spooning at this point, but Jake, being the good Catholic boy that he was, thought nothing of it, merely that he and his very best friend (who just so happened to be a boy) were lying together on the couch. Dirk looked very happy, and the two eventually sneaked off to Dirk's bedroom with a bag of popcorn and some cheesy action films. John noticed, but thought nothing of it. He merely assumed two good bros were going to watch some movies, although he did notice that Dirk had his arm around Jake's waist, which seemed a bit strange. Whatever made them happy, though. "Don't get AIDS!" Dave laughed as the two headed to Dirk's bedroom, which caused the older Strider to flinch and blush darkly. "That's gas, Dave, but we're just going to relax and then probably crash," Jake nodded. "If that's anything remotely like Netflix and Chill, use protection," the albino commented from the couch. John snorted at that comment, because he knew what 'Netflix and Chill' meant. It was cool teen slang for 'doing the do,' which made John laugh just to think about. It was just so silly.

Jade was the first to fall asleep, which wasn't surprising, given the fact that she was a narcoleptic and would fall asleep randomly at any given time. Next was Jane, who had fallen asleep resting against Roxy. Roxy was still wide awake however, half watching the movie and half absorbed in some game she was playing on her phone. Rose had fallen asleep leaning against Kanaya, and a faint Jade blush could be made out on the troll's gray face. John assumed Dirk and Jake were sleeping, or maybe doing something else, but the bedroom door was closed, and he didn't hear any talking. Dave was still very much awake, wrapped in a red blanket and staring intensely at the TV screen. It was probably the six cans of soda he drank that were keeping him awake. John was a little tired, and it felt impossible to keep his eyes open for more than a few minutes. He ended up falling asleep on the couch, which was kind of nice, since the couch was pretty comfortable.

When morning came, John was shaken awake by Roxy, who didn't even look tired, despite how late she'd stayed up last night. "Get up John! Jane made breakfast for everyone. Don't you wanna eat?" she asked, her violet-gray eyes sparkling. "Yeah, totally," John mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and fumbling around for his glasses. "Roxy, have you seen my glasses?" the brunette questioned, blinking slowly and tiredly. "Nooooo," the girl laughed mischievously. "Give them to me, Rox! Come on!" the boy laughed, standing up from the couch. "Aw, fine!" the blonde girl sighed, handing the younger boy his glasses. He simply glared at her playfully and put them on, relieved that he could finally see. Everyone was sitting at the table, but since only Dirk and Dave lived in the apartment, most of the chairs were just makeshift seats, like two boxes stacked on top of each other, a beach chair, and some pool floats stacked up. It was actually kind of funny, in all honesty. "C'mon! We saved you a seat!" Roxy waved at John from where she sat at the table. "Okay!" he replied, haphazardly combing through his hair with his hand.

John made his way over to the table, sitting down on a makeshift seat that had been saved for him. Jane was definitely the best at cooking out of all of them, although nothing rivaled his dad's food. Everything was going pretty smoothly, until Dave asked what Jake and Dirk did last night, causing Dirk to almost fall out of his chair. "Well golly, Dave! Are you writing a book?" he questioned playfully "We just watched some action flicks," Jake shrugged. Dirk sat up a bit straighter, coughing a bit, his face still flushed. "We're not on the hook," the other said calmly, which only made Dirk more flustered. He was really the only one who understood Jake's weird mid-1900's slang; everyone else just kind of pretended they understood what he was talking about. Everyone at the table laughed, and got back to their individual conversations.

"Dave," John started, glancing over at his best friend, who was calmly drinking some apple juice that was probably from the secret collection he kept in his room, "are Dirk and Jake gay?" he asked, smiling a little. It was a bit of an odd thing to think about, considering that Jake was extremely oblivious (and also Catholic), and that Dirk was...Dirk didn't seem gay at all, besides the fact that he did enjoy My Little Pony and anime. "Dude. He's totally fucking gay. A circle is straighter than he is. I peeped on his weird ass diary thing, y'know, the one he has to keep for his BPD? Yeah. Anyways, to say the least, there was a lot of gay-ass shit written in there about Jake," the blonde glanced around, speaking quietly and quickly. "Really? He doesn't seem like the gay type..." John trailed off, glancing over at Dirk, who was staring at Jake again.

A bit after that, Dirk stood up and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, including Jake's. "There's something I have to say to you guys. Listen, I don't like labels. I don't. But I'm going to come out and say this now," he took a long pause, inhaling deeply.

"I like guys. Only. I hope you can still see me as the same person," his voice wavered slightly before he sat back down. Everything was quiet for a bit, but after the momentary pause, everyone offered words of general support, excluding Kanaya. "Rose," the troll asked, turning to face her friend. "Why was that necessary?" "What do you mean by that?" the blonde asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Why did he need to say that he was attracted romantically and possibly sexually towards other males?" The Jadeblood inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Oh. Well...humans are different than trolls in that most humans are heterosexual, meaning that they're attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Some humans like both sexes, and some only like the same one as them, which is called homosexuality," Rose explained. Kanaya looked very confused. "Humans have a term for that? How strange. All trolls are...whatever your human word for liking both sexes is. In our culture, being attracted to someone explicitly due to their sex would be considered fetishism. Human sexuality sure is strange!" Her gaze traveled over to Dirk, who was still blushing a bit awkwardly.

"So, does that mean that only one type of human couple has reproductive capabilities?" the troll asked. "Well...yeah. Only a heterosexual couple can reproduce, but a homosexual couple can raise a kid just as well. Sometimes, they can get someone else to have a kid for them, or they can adopt a child," Rose nodded, smiling a bit. The gray-skinned girl looked confused still; as this was a lot to process. "I know that humans don't reproduce the same as trolls, but I was not aware of the fact that only a male and a female human could have reproductive compatibility," Kanaya looked at Rose. "Yeah. I guess our cultures aren't as similar as we'd like them to be," the younger Lalonde sighed. "Does that mean that humans have a different romantic system than trolls?" the Virgo asked. "I don't know. What kind of romance do trolls have?"

Rose found Kanaya's explanation of troll romance to be very interesting. "So, what would we be considered?" She asked, assuming that moirailship was off the board. "I...don't know, to be quite honest. What is your human version of Moirailship called?" "Friendship. Except it's not considered a type of romance by humans, since friendship is strictly platonic," the blonde told her. "I guess humans really only have one kind of romance, and it's probably closest to your troll matespritship. Romantic attraction for humans is defined as wanting to date or even get married, and can sometimes lead to reproduction. We don't really have anything like the troll Ashen or Caliginous quadrants."

"Strange. Humans sure are odd.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days after Dirk's confession, Dirk and Jake had started dating. Since their school was fairly small, word of mouth traveled fast. Nearly all of John's friends had heard about a day after they'd started dating, including John himself. He was happy for Dirk, considering the fact that Dave told him that Dirk had had a crush on Jake for a long time. Nothing really changed between any of them as friends, which was good. They hung out just as much, and everyone kept in touch. The only difference was that Dirk and Jake were almost always together, and sometimes they went out on dates or cuddled when everyone hung out.

September flew by, and October came around, same as it always had. Dirk and Jake were still a couple, and Rose and Kanaya were seemingly inseparable now. Roxy had started hanging out with some of the troll upperclassmen, and she'd become best friends with a girl named Latula, who liked skateboarding and video games and complimented Roxy's personality really well. Dave also made friends with some trolls, a blind girl named Terezi who seemed alright, if a little weird, and a loud but quite small troll named Karkat, who always seemed like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Jane was friends with a couple of the trolls, and a weird stoner kid kept flirting with her. She'd found a new friend in a cherub named Calliope, who was really nice and always got good grades. Jade had been hanging out with Karkat, Terezi, and a troll named Tavros who was a paraplegic, although he was really nice. John hung out with Terezi, and with his friends who hung out with trolls, so indirectly, he hung out with his friends' friends. A couple other trolls would sometimes hang out with them at school, so it was pretty fun.

John enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends. Of course though, he'd also been trying to keep his focus on school. He needed to get good grades if he wanted to stay in the STEM Program, so he mostly focused on that. Everything was going smoothly for a while, and everyone was still mostly focused on school. It was fairly easy for John to balance his social life and his school work, and he was working hard to finish his French homework tonight so he could go hang out with Dave, Karkat, and Terezi tomorrow. Apparently, they were going to play video games at Dave's, which sounded like a lot of fun. John really enjoyed video games, even if the only one he was good at was Pokemon. He was kind of glad that Dirk and Jake were the only ones who were dating, because they spent less time with the others now and more time between themselves. That wasn't a bad thing, John just wanted his friends to spend time with him, just as it had been for the last two years they'd been in high school.

When the time came for John to go hang out with Dave and his troll friends, Mr. Egbert drove John to Dave's apartment. The boy knocked on the door, and was answered by Dirk, who was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "Hey John! Come in!" Dirk nodded, closing the door behind the brunette as he stepped inside. Dave sat on the couch, Terezi at his left, Karkat at his right, and, surprisingly enough, Roxy and Latula sitting on the floor in front of them. The younger Strider paused the game and glanced up at John. "Hey! We're playing The Evil Within. I saved you a spot!" he nodded, gesturing to a spot on the floor next to Latula, where a sixth controller sat. "Thanks!" John smiled brightly, taking a seat next to Terezi's older sister. "Tules, say hi! This is my good buddy John!" Roxy said, leaning forward and smiling at him. The troll girl glanced down at the boy sitting next to her. "Yo! How's it hangin', Johnny boy?" she laughed, patting his back excitedly. "Good, thanks!" He smiled, trying to seem sincere. It was a little strange that Latula acted so friendly with him when he didn't even know her, but at least she was nice.

Karkat was very angry and yelled almost the whole time, causing Dave to erupt into a fit of laughter. Terezi was blind, so she sat in front of the TV and licked the screen, causing Roxy to have issues seeing, but she and Latula had a good laugh about it. It was great seeing his friends happy and laughing, and John couldn't help but join in. They played for a really long time, and Dave made some pizza rolls, which was nice. They eventually decided to play Mario Kart, which John sucked at, but regardless, it was still fun. Roxy or Dave almost always always placed first, and Dave insisted on playing as Princess Roselina, which made for an even funnier ass whooping, considering John always played as Bowser. They all had a really great time though, and that was what really mattered. When the time came for him to go home, John felt sad. He wanted to stay and play video games. Even if tomorrow was a weekend, he had to keep his sleeping schedule in check.

School was going well, and John was getting straight A's, which was really great. His dad always told him how proud he was of his son, which made the boy really happy. Everything seemed to be going well, until Dave pestered him on a Thursday night, a few weeks after he'd been at Dave's place, playing video games.

TG: dude

TG: are you there?

EB: yeah?

TG: you wont fucking believe what just happened

EB: what?

TG: jake and my bro broke up

EB: what?! no way!

TG: yes way

EB: what? but they were such a good couple...

TG: yeah im not sure what happened

TG: jake kind of just exploded and dirk has been crying for the past few hours

TG: before he stormed out of our apartment all angry n shit he yelled something about dirk being too overbearing

TG: said he needed some space

EB: that's awful!

TG: tell me about it

TG: dirks a really nice guy

TG: im starting to think jake is just an ass

TG: who knows what my bro saw in that douchebag!

EB: who knows. at least they broke up though. i mean, if jake wasn't good for him.

TG: yeah

TG: oh also

TG: um

TG: terezi and i are dating

EB: whoa really?

TG: haha yeah

TG: shes really nice

EB: that's cute. i'm happy for you, dave!

TG: thanks my dude

TG: when are you gonna get a gf?

EB: i don't know, honestly.

TG: probably just haven't met the right girl yet

TG: or guy

EB: dave!

TG: haha

TG: im just givin you a hard time

TG: anyways bye i have homework

EB: bye dave!

\- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 04:30 PM -

John was kind of sad that Dirk and Jake broke up. They seemed like a really cute couple. If it was for the best, though, he guessed that was good. What surprised him most, though, was that Dave and Terezi were dating. The two seemed incompatible to John, but what did he know about matchmaking? As long as Dave was happy, that was all that really mattered. He tried not to let himself get too worked up about his best friend asking when he was going to get a girlfriend. It was probably just a joke anyways, and he knew the right one would come along eventually. It was just a matter of time. He really wanted a girlfriend, to be quite honest, but he didn't have a crush on any of the girls that he was friends with. Oh well. It would happen in due time, so he wasn't going to force it.

The next morning, at school, John was at his locker, getting his things, when he was greeted by a loud, hoarse voice. "John!"

The boy turned around, seeing his friend Vriska standing behind him. "Oh. Hey Vriska! How's it going?" the brunette greeted. "Good! But anyways, I wanted to ask if I can have your pesterchum," she told him. "Sure!" he nodded, not giving it any second thought, "It's ectoBiologist." "Cool. Do you have yesterday's history notes?" the Cobalt-blooded troll asked. "Yeah, let me find them!" he said, searching through his bag. "Just give them back to me before history, okay?" "Yeah, yeah. Thanks!" she waved to him as she went across the hall to her locker. John liked Vriska. She was nice. "John," Kanaya, who was at the locker next to his started, "why are you human friends with that girl? She is not very nice." John seemed confused. "She's nice to me!" He said defensively. Kanaya simply sighed, shaking her head a bit. "Did you hear that Dave and Terezi are dating?" the brunette asked, trying to change the subject. "Yes. Rose and I are..."human dating" also. Are you aware of that?"

"Huh?!"

What?! Rose was...a lesbian? "I didn't know Rose liked girls..." he mumbled. "Rose is a human homosexual. She didn't inform you of that?" Kanaya raised an eyebrow, searching around for something in her locker. "Well...no. She never really brought it up. I guess I assumed she always just liked guys..." John said, still feeling a bit strange that he didn't know his own friend was a lesbian, let alone dating Kanaya. "Well, good for you two! That's really great!" the boy nodded. Still, he still had a lot of friends who were single, so he didn't feel lonely. However, he'd started to question whether or not he was the same as his friends. He didn't really feel attracted to anyone. It was a strange feeling, and he wondered if any of his other friends felt that way too. Regardless, it was probably best to keep it a secret for now, because he didn't want to tell any of his friends and be thought of as weird. The right person would come along eventually. He knew they would. His dad always told him that, and so did Rose and Jade.

Hopefully they were right.


	6. Chapter 6

Dave and Terezi broke up. Dave was dating Karkat now, and he seemed a lot happier. Jade was questioning her sexuality for a while, so she dated a troll girl named Feferi. Eventually, though, she discovered she was straight, and she and Feferi decided to just be friends. Now she was dating a troll named Tavros. Jane was dating Calliope, one of the only cherubs at the school. Rose and Kanaya were going strong still. Jake and Dirk were back together, and Roxy and Latula were dating now.

And somebody was leaving weird love notes in John's locker. They were always addressed as being from his secret admirer, and were honestly borderline stalkerish. He wondered who the hell was leaving said notes and, even more so how they knew where his locker was. They must've watched him in the mornings and between classes, which the boy found highly unnerving. Regardless, he simply tried to ignore them, considering the fact that nothing weird was happening to him besides that. He continued on like usual, simply brushing off the strangeness of the notes.

The time that passed was much more boring than usual. His friends didn't invite him over as much anymore, or, if they did, they were all with whoever they were dating. John was often left wondering when he would be in the same boat as them. Soon; he thought. Soon. And then he would think it was stupid that he ever even thought he would never get a girlfriend.

Vriska started sitting with John at lunch, much to Kanaya's dismay. Apparently, they used to be girlfriends or something, but broke it off for an undisclosed reason. That was what Rose said. Vriska was pretty nice, if not a bit strange and sometimes kind of snappy. She acted different around John than anyone else, but the boy remained oblivious about it.

"Hey, Vriska," John started, taking a bite of his sandwich, "someone's been leaving these really weird notes in my locker. Do you have any idea who it would be? They aren't written with any quirk, so I have no lead on anyone." Vriska glanced at him, smiling slightly. "Let me see one of the notes," the cobalt troll requested. John complied, handing her the latest note; the one he'd found in his locker today. "Wow. Someone must really like you! If anything, I'd take that as a compliment, John. Whoever it is obviously sees something in you," Vriska told him. "But no, sorry. I don't have the slightest idea of who the hell could be putting notes in your locker. Although it would have to be someone who knows where your locker is," the troll girl pointed out.

For the rest of lunch, John was pretty quiet. He tried to think of a way to catch whoever was putting the notes in his locker. Of course, his brainstorming session came up dry, so he was no closer to finding whoever the culprit was than he was a few weeks ago, when the letters started. Maybe he could ask Terezi. She would probably know. Regardless, ever since she'd broken up with Dave, she'd been sitting at a different table with her girlfriend. It was easy to find them, though, because her girlfriend's hair was really fluffy, and she had ram horns. He would talk to Terezi during biology and ask her if she could help him with the notes.

The bell rang, and John went to his biology class, anxiously awaiting for Terezi's appearance. As soon as she came in and sat down next to him, the boy turned to face her. "Hey Terezi! I have a really important question!" John nodded, reaching into his bookbag and pulling out the note. "Can you help me figure out who wrote this?" He asked. "Sure," Terezi smiled, taking the note. She licked it, then seemed to ponder for a bit. "It tastes like blueberry and gross white paper. I have no clue who wrote this, to be honest. The blue might mean a troll who's blue-blooded, buuuut that's not likely, considering the fact that they just wrote in blue pen," she exclaimed.

John sighed, taking the now-wet note back. "Thanks Terezi," he said, upset that he wasn't any closer.

That night, John decided to pester Jade. Maybe she could help with the note thing. And because he was feeling dumb about not having a crush. He didn't even know what having a crush felt like.

That should've been the first sign.

EB: hey jade.

GG: hey john! :D

EB: can i ask something?

GG: sure! what is it?

EB: someone has been leaving notes in my locker. it's weird, but regardless, i wanted to ask if you saw anybody around my locker, or if you might know who it is.

GG: whoa! :000 what kind of notes?

EB: love notes. apparently they're from a "secret admirer."

GG: awww!

GG: sorry john i really dont know... :(

GG: i havent seen anybody around your locker, and i have no idea of who it could possibly be.

EB: damn it!

GG: sorry john. i wish i could be more of a help :,(

EB: it's okay.

EB: jade?

GG: yeah?

EB: is it normal to not have a crush on anyone? even in high school?

GG: i dont know to be perfectly honest!

GG: we all grow romantically at our own rates

GG: maybe you just havent found anyone who you have a crush on! :)

EB: yeah...i guess you're right. thanks jade...

GG: you're welcome john! ^^

But yet, he still felt distant. It was like he was standing on one side of a glass wall or a window, and all his friends who knew about romance and dating were on the other side.

That should've been a sign.

However, he knew not the name for what he was feeling, or even that it was a thing that possibly existed. All he knew was that the feeling he felt was barely bearable, and he stopped for a moment to ponder.

He'd never had a crush.

What did that feel like?

Time to ask Rose. She was smart about that kind of thing.

EB: rose. i have something to ask.

TT: Yes?

EB: what does having a crush feel like?

TT: What?

EB: what does it feel like being in love?

TT: Haven't you had a crush before, John?

EB: i don't know.

TT: Well...it feels like butterflies in your stomach. But it also feels like wanting to be with the person you're crushing on forever, and wanting to spend time with them. You might feel shy or giddy as well. It feels kind of strange, but it's definitely something you'll know once you feel it. You might also feel sexual attraction to said person, which I don't have to explain.

EB: thanks. that was a helpful description.

TT: No problem.

He had never felt like that before. Not anything like what Rose had described. Still, he was only 17. Maybe other people were in the same boat? Maybe something was wrong with him, considering the fact that he found sex really gross, and found the admiration letters left in his locker more creepy than cute. Exploring this facet of himself felt uncomfortable, as it was something he had never addressed before. He was sure that it wasn't a mental illness related problem, as he'd never been mentally ill, nor had he struggled with such problems before.

Maybe he could talk to his dad about it?

No.

John trusted his dad, and the two had a good relationship. However, it might be weird, and his dad might not have a good answer, and everything might just turn out awkward. It was better to just try and figure it out slowly. All of this felt so overwhelming, and he'd started to wonder if he was just being stupid. Confusion wracked his brain, and he hoped that at least one of his friends might have an explanation as to why he felt this way.

To make matters worse, he hadn't even started on getting to the bottom of the thing with the letters.

Everything hurt.

The dark-haired boy got up from his desk, heading downstairs to get a glass of water and some aspirin. As he returned to his bed, John's eyes closed, and he quickly fell into a dreamless, black sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The letters continued.

They only increased in number as time went on, and John was still no closer to figuring out who his 'secret admirer' was, unfortunately. Nothing strange had been happening; no stalking, no strange pesterlogs, no nothing. Just the letters, so it didn't scare John. He just found it a bit odd that whoever was sending the letters felt too scared to say anything to his face, but seemed totally bold and fearless in the letters they'd been leaving in his locker for weeks now.

He was just surprised whoever it was hadn't dropped any hints or anything. Maybe they were, and John was too oblivious to notice.

He'd started to feel more insecure about his identity as time passed. Desperately, he started to search for answers, coming up without answers each time. John really didn't know much about romantic or sexual orientations. He was just a confused teenage boy, questioning the very identity that he had previously held dear. Nobody had ever asked him out, nor had he ever asked anyone else out either. What the hell was wrong with him? Every book and movie and song was about people being in love.

Was he broken?

Was something wrong with him?

He didn't know how to react to the love notes. They just made him uncomfortable, and he couldn't understand that person's feelings at all. Still, he had to go to school and be faced with yet more love notes. John grabbed his bag and headed out of the house after quickly scarfing down his breakfast of pancakes and fruit. He arrived at the school, smiling as he saw his cousin, Jane, standing in the courtyard with her girlfriend Calliope. The brunette waved to her, and Jane waved back. Calliope smiled brightly, waving as well.

John headed to his locker, opening it very hesitantly, his blue eyes widening as a stack of letters fluttered out of the locker. It surprised the boy so much that he nearly fell backwards, bumping into Vriska behind him. "Whoa, sorry," John apologized quickly. "It's okay. Here, lemme help you pick some of these up," the troll girl smiled slightly, leaning down and picking up the letters. "Thanks," the brunette nodded, taking the letters back from Vriska. "Hey, uh...do you...know who could be putting these letters in my locker? It's getting a little out of hand," he laughed awkwardly.

Vriska's eyes flickered with a mischievous glow, a slight smile on her face. "Nope! Sorry," she laughed, putting her arm around John's shoulder. "Ah, oh well. That's okay," he shrugged, the troll girl's grey arm still slung around the human's shoulder. "Do you wanna hang out later? Maybe after school?" the cerulean-blooded troll questioned, one of her eyebrows raising. "Yeah! Sure. That sounds like it would be fun," John nodded. "I have homework though, hope you don't mind me doing it while we hang out." "Nope, it's cool!" Vriska nodded calmly. "Meet me in the courtyard after school," she told him, removing her arm and heading down the hallway towards her first period class.

After eighth period, the troll girl met up with John in the school courtyard, just as they had planned. She looked cool, standing there in her leather jacket, ripped blue jeans, and cerulean converse shoes. "Hey Vriska!" the brunette waved as he stepped outside, into the windy courtyard. "Hey John. C'mon, let's go to my place!" the troll nodded, motioning for the boy to follow. He followed, heading to the sleek, cobalt car sitting in the school parking lot. Equius was sitting in the passenger seat, and he waved to the girl troll as she opened the driver's side window. "Hey Equs," she opened the back door for John, motioning for him to get in. The brunette nodded to Vriska, thanking her. He closed the door, and the cerulean-blooded troll hopped into the driver's seat.

"Is this your car, Vriska?" John asked, leaning forward. "Nope. It's Equius's," she said calmly, glancing over at the sweaty troll sitting in the passenger seat. "Damn! You have a nice car, Equius," John smiled brightly. Equius thanked him, simply nodding. The female troll turned up the radio a bit, pulling into a street with a sign marked in Alternian and Beforuisan trollian. It only took a little while for Vriska to pull into a driveway, hopping out. She waved to Equius, thanking him for letting her use his car. He nodded, getting into the driver's side seat. He put the key in the ignition, and pulled out of the cerulean-blooded troll's driveway. Vriska walked up to the door of her house, putting her key into the door. She unlocked it, stepping inside.

The house looked strange; foreign. It was styled like a normal troll hive to Vriska, but looked like an alien house to John. Someone came downstairs, waving to Vriska. She looked like Vriska, but had different hair and white glasses, and dressed much girlier than Vriska did. "Oh. I...never introduced you to my ancestor. She's kind of the equivalent of your human sisters. Aranea, this is John. John, this is Aranea," the troll nodded. John waved shyly at the older troll, smiling slightly. "Wanna go play some video games or something?" Vriska asked. "Or, we could watch a Nic Cage movie. God, Nic Cage is so hot," the alien girl swooned, her face flushing blue.

The two headed upstairs to Vriska's bedroom, sitting down on the floor in front of the TV. John noticed stacks of paper on his friend's desk, and a cup full of blue pens, but suspected nothing. She was in AP Writing, and blue was the only color she ever wrote in. That was what trolls did.

The two played video games for a while, before Vriska paused the game and stared at John. "There's something I have to say," she started, setting her controller down. "You know those letters? The ones that have been showing up in your locker? That was me. Those were mine. They were all me," she confessed. John's eyes widened, and he backed up slightly in shock. "What? Why? What the hell!" He recoiled sharply, as if Vriska had just hit him in the face. The troll smiled slightly, a cerulean blush dusting her cheeks. "I don't know. I just didn't wanna tell you, to be honest. Plus, it was pretty funny."

"What the fuck, Vriska?! Why didn't you just tell me to my face?" The human asked angrily.

Then he realized. Maybe this was his chance to finally get a girlfriend. Maybe this was his chance to figure out that he was totally normal; just a late bloomer. "If you would've just told me in person, I probably would've been a lot less hesitant about going out with you!" John said angrily.

"Wait, what? You wanna go out with me? Really?" She asked, her eyes widening. "I don't see why not," John shrugged. "We're already friends anyways. Regardless, the note thing was weird and creepy. Next time, just tell me," the brunette sighed. Vriska nodded.

Hell yes.

John, despite feeling a little creeped out about what Vriska had done, mostly felt happy. Now he had a girlfriend too, and his friends wouldn't think he was weird. Now was his chance to figure out that he actually did feel romantic attraction.

That was what he kept telling himself.


End file.
